DAY TWO
If there was any question left in the minds of Jesus’ disciples, as to when the kingdom of God was coming, it was all cleared up on the day of His resurrection. The empty tomb was enough to convince them that He was who He said He was, “The King of Kings. The Messiah. The Savior of the World.” Then, the time He spent with them over the next 40 days was more than enough to assure them that the kingdom of God was indeed here and now.
The Bible says in Acts 1:3...
“He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”
It seems clear that Jesus did more than speak about the kingdom. There were conversations. There was an ongoing dialogue. His followers asked questions and He answered them. Jesus followed His usual method of asking them hard questions and allowing them to struggle with the answers.
Dialogue was the style of teaching that was common in that day. This is exactly how Luke describes their conversations in Luke 24:32…
“They said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"
Literally, their hearts were set on fire by His teaching. He spoke with authority. He taught them deep truths. He explained the kingdom in a way that reached the deepest places of their hearts and lit a fire of passion, faith, and fervor.
Jesus had already proclaimed to His disciples in Mark 1:15…
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.”
The kingdom of God is not something we are waiting for in the future. It is here. It is now. We have led far too many people to believe that they trust in Jesus now to save them from destruction and take them to heaven at some point in the future. If that were true, why would Jesus have spent so much time teaching about something that no one on this earth would ever experience?
In fact, it is quite the contrary, Jesus taught about the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven because He wanted us to experience of fullness of the reign of God during our life here on earth. He lived His entire life as an example of what it looks like to bring heaven to earth. Now, today, He gives us everything we need to live like Him, bringing heaven to earth in everything we say and do.
Since the kingdom of God is here and now, it makes sense to understand the basic principles of the kingdom. The most elementary principle is that every kingdom has a king. Psalm 103:19-22 says…
“19 YEHOVAH has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
20 Bless YEHOVAH, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
21 Bless YEHOVAH, all you His hosts,
You who serve Him, doing His will.
22 Bless YEHOVAH, all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless YEHOVAH, O my soul!”
Psalm 103 says that the LORD, YEHOVAH, has established His throne in the heavens. A throne is always a seat of power, a seat of authority. God’s throne is in the highest place, above all else. There is no throne, no power, no authority above God. He is the ultimate authority in the kingdom.
This Psalm also says that His divine rule, His sovereignty rules over all. In other words, everything exists under the authority and rule of God. All authority everywhere flows from God. There is no authority that anyone possesses unless it is given by God.
How does He demonstrate His authority? First, He demonstrates His authority over the angels. His angels are described as mighty in strength. Yet even though they are mighty they only do one thing. When God speaks, they immediately perform whatever He has commanded. When they hear His voice, they instantly obey.
Next, He demonstrates His authority over all of creation, all His works. The command to “bless” is a little bit deceiving. At its core, the word “bless” means to kneel down. If God is on His throne, ruling over the entire universe, then where should we be? How about, “on our knees” before Him, ready to do whatever He commands us to do, just like the angels?
Every kingdom has a king! This elementary principle would have been in the minds of the disciples when Jesus was talking to them. It was part of their education in the three years they followed Him and it was likely part of their discussion in the 40 days after His resurrection.
So, imagine what they must have thought when Jesus said this to them, as it’s recorded in Matthew 18:18…
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
The Messiah who had been crowned with thorns and mocked as the King of the Jews, had become the King of heaven and earth. Jesus had not yet ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the God on the throne, but He had already been given the authority of that position. Through His death on the cross, He took the punishment that was due all mankind after the fall of Adam and Eve, and He took back the authority that had been once given to Lucifer.
The authority of Jesus is critical to being sent. If we are on our own, we cannot defeat the enemy. If we are alone, we cannot take ground for the kingdom. If not for the authority of Jesus, we would be powerless to proclaim the message of the kingdom. Without the authority of the King, we can do nothing. We have no authority in and of ourselves.
But with the authority of Jesus, there is no end to what we can do. With God, all things are possible. When God speaks, His word carries with it all the power and authority of the kingdom. When God commands us to go, His authority goes with us. Under His direction, we speak boldly, live powerfully, and experience the supernatural of His kingdom. Nothing is too difficult for Jesus.
A few years ago, I was preaching on the authority of the kingdom in Monte Catini Terme, Italy. In my abiding time that morning, before standing up to preach, God spoke to me and said that He was giving me the keys to the kingdom. He said that what I bound on earth would be bound in heaven and what I set free on earth would also be set free on heaven.
I knew He was referring to what Jesus had said to Peter in Matthew 16:19...
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."
So, before, during, and after the teaching time I was on the alert for an opportunity to exercise the authority that God had granted to me that morning. After the teaching time, three women came to me separately confessing their struggle with fear. They were all gifted by God to build His kingdom, and all three were plagued by fear. God would speak to them and instruct them to say or do something, and they would be afraid to follow through with what He had said.
Aware of what God had spoken to me in the morning, I gathered the three women together along with the pastor of the church. We laid hands on them and prayed, binding the spirit of fear and unleashing the Spirit of boldness. That morning, all three women were set free from fear.
Did they find freedom because of something I had done? Absolutely not. The authority of the kingdom was given to me by God. It flowed from His throne, through the words that He spoke to me. God’s authority is not something we claim anytime and anyplace we want. It is something he gives to us through His instructions to use it. He is the King. We just carry out his will for His kingdom.
WORSHIP: Having a king and being a subject is not something we understand from experience, especially in the Western world. So, today, as you process these truths, take some time to contemplate the authority of our King and what it means to be completely under His authority. Let your mind wander to the end of what you can comprehend. This is true worship when truth takes you into the realm of the Spirit beyond what can be understood.
PRACTICE: Bless Jesus as the King of Kings. If nothing is wrong with your knees, get down on them and humble yourself before Him, offer yourself to Him, and put everything in your life under His reign as King.
MEDITATION: Ask yourself some questions today. How does it change your relationship with Jesus when you realize that all authority in heaven and earth belong to Him? What might be possible for you with the authority of heaven and earth as your guide? Where might Jesus want you to exercise His authority? Is there something Jesus is asking you or commanding you to do today? Write down anything you sense might be from God. If there is a command in what He reveals to you, do not hesitate to do it.
ABIDING: Go back and read through this teaching one more time. This time ask the Father if there is anything here specifically for you. Write down anything you hear from Him. Spend some extra time listening to see if He has anything more to say to you or if there is deeper teaching He has for you today. Again, write down whatever you hear.